Intelligent seat systems

ABSTRACT

An ISS is a seating system that actively adjusts to improve an occupant&#39;s comfort, performance, and safety in a specific driving environment. The ISS determines the occupant&#39;s posture, position on the seat surface, and/or physiological state, for example, by applying a machine vision process. The ISS can further determine a driving environment. The ISS adjusts its settings and settings of the vehicle according to one or more factors such as an occupant&#39;s posture, the occupant&#39;s physiological state, the occupant&#39;s preferences, and/or the driving environment. The ISS can include a state machine that determines a current state and determines if a change has occurred such that the system should shift to another state that best suits this change. The ISS makes adjustment according to system settings associated with the best suitable state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/313,054, “Intelligent SeatSystem,” filed Mar. 24, 2016. The subject matter of the foregoing isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to seating systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is well known that sitting for prolonged periods of time is a majorcause of back pain. Choosing the right seating system and adjusting theseating system to proper positions are important to good rests and ahealthy body. However, it is difficult to adjust seating systems toprovide the right support and comfort for users in differentcircumstances because people have different needs when sitting downperforming different activities. Besides being uncomfortable, poorseating ergonomics over time may disrupt persons' alertness,restfulness, and productivity; and even damage spinal structures. Thereis always a need for better seating systems.

SUMMARY

One example of an improved seat system is referred to herein as anIntelligent Seat System (ISS). The ISS is a seating system that activelyadjusts to improve an occupant's comfort, performance, and/or safety ina specific driving environment. The ISS measures pressure surface valuesof an occupant on a seat surface and determines the occupant's posture,position on the seat surface, and/or physiological state. In oneembodiment, the ISS applies a machine vision process to detect andidentify an occupant, detect the occupant's posture and position, trackregions of high pressure, and/or determine the occupant's physiologicalstate. The ISS can further determine a driving environment, for example,based on measurements generated or data received. For example, the ISSmeasures a temperature and/or a humidity surrounding the seat supportsystem, measures forces and vibrations exerted on the seat supportsystem, and/or receives navigation data, radar data, weather report,vehicle safety data, and the like, from the vehicle or other sources.The ISS can be communicatively coupled to the vehicle and can also beintegrated with the vehicle. The ISS provides an initiation process thatallows an occupant to provide the occupant's preferences.

The ISS adjusts its settings and settings of the vehicle according toone or more factors such as an occupant's posture, the occupant'sphysiological state, the occupant's preferences, and/or the drivingenvironment. The ISS can include a state machine that determines acurrent state and determines if a change has occurred such that thesystem should shift to another state that best suits this change. TheISS makes adjustment according to system settings associated with thebest suitable state.

An ISS preferably is customizable to an individual user's needs at eachmoment while driving or as a passenger, and over time can be tailored tothe user's preferences, habits, and body type. Actively adjusting theseating environment to the user's requirements reduces muscle and backstrain, and improves comfort and posture. In another aspect, inemergency circumstances, an ISS can respond in the most appropriatemanner and sequence to limit injury or discomfort according to anoccupant's body position and activity. An ISS is also applicable inairlines, buses, trains, ergonomic furniture, wheelchairs or otherapplications.

Other aspects of the invention include methods, devices, systems,components, improvements and other technology related to the conceptsdescribed in this document.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention has other advantages and features which will be morereadily apparent from the following detailed description of theinvention and the appended claims, when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an operation process of an example ISS.

FIG. 2 is an example state machine diagram for an ISS.

FIG. 3 shows a representative pressure image for a sitting posture.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process for extracting heart rate (HR) andbreathing rate (BR) from pressure data.

FIG. 5 is a machine vision image illustrating segmenting the thoraxregion.

FIG. 6 illustrates example ergonomic adjustments of an example ISS.

FIG. 7 illustrates example reference joint angles used to adjust anexample ISS.

FIG. 8 illustrates air bladders located in an example ISS.

FIG. 9 is an exploded view showing layers of an example ISS.

The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The figures and the following description relate to preferredembodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that fromthe following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures andmethods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viablealternatives that may be employed without departing from the principlesof what is claimed.

I. Overview of Operation

When riding in a vehicle, an occupant's posture can be divided intostates such as ideal, relaxed, slouched, sleeping, and a variety ofpossible positions. An occupant's physiological state can be dividedinto states such as awake, drowsy, asleep, and a variety of possiblestates. To determine what posture position and/or what physiologicalstate the occupant is in, an ISS may monitor the occupants' bodyposition and biometric data, and combine this information with pasttrends. Moreover, the system can detect a driving environmentsurrounding and inside the vehicle. The ISS (also referred herein as thesystem) matches the occupants' posture, the occupant's physiologicalstate, and/or the driving environment to appropriate system settingsthat include settings of a seat support system (e.g., a bolsteringlevel, a seatback angle, a distance from a steering wheel, a seatheight, a shape of a seat surface, a seat temperature, etc.) andsettings of the vehicle (e.g., a temperature, a humidity, a light levelof a dashboard, etc.) As described herein a “seat surface” refers to asurface of a seat support system that can include a seatback. A seatsupport system is also referred herein as a seat.

In one example, the functions of the ISS can be categorized intocooperating subsystems and/or processes controlled by a state machine.Together, these monitor the conditions of the driving environment andthe occupant, process information to determine changes, and executecontrol over the subsystems to improve the occupant's drivingexperience. FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example ISS's operation process.

A. Processes and State Control

As illustrated, an ISS employs the following three process:

-   -   1. Machine Vision Process 112    -   2. Machine Learning Process 122    -   3. State Machine Process 132

These processes operate on the input of each subsystem of the ISS toidentify one or more occupants, determine their posture andphysiological state, and characterize the current driving environment.The subsystems of the ISS are further described below.

1. Machine Vision Process

In the illustrated example, the following subsystems employs a machinevision process 112:

a. Occupant Identification System 114:

The occupant identification system 114 detects one or more occupants andidentifies them by their physical attributes. For an occupant, theoccupant identification system 114 detects the occupant's posture andregions of high pressure. The physical attributes include anatomicalfeatures such as ischial tuberosities, greater trochanters, lumbarregions, leg positions, and the like. The occupant identification system114 can differentiate a human from an inanimate object and can alsoidentify an occupant's body type (e.g., small, medium, or large). Asfurther described below, the occupant identification system 114 canapply a machine vision process to pressure images to detect and identityan occupant and also detect an occupant's posture. The machine visionprocess analyzes images to determining a “seating signature” (e.g.,image features) thereby to identify an occupant and also to detect hisor her posture and regions of high pressure. For an occupant that isknown, an ISS considers information about the occupant such as theoccupant's preferences, past history such as medical conditions (e.g.,susceptible to back pain, or should not drive at night) when determininga suitable system setting.

b. Physiological State Detection System 116:

The physiological state detection system 116 determines an occupant'sphysiological state. An occupant's physiological state such as alertnesscan be quantified by measuring the occupant's heart rate (HR), breathingrate (BR), and body movement. The measured values are processed toclassify (e.g., quantify) a physiological state of the occupant as to alevel of alertness or wakefulness and/or drowsiness. For occupants thatare passengers, drowsy or sleeping states may be desired for longdrives.

2. Machine Learning Process

A machine learning process 122 refines determining and adjustingsettings of an ISS for occupants. For an occupant, the machine learningprocess 122 analyzes a history of the occupant's posture, physiologicalstates, the driving environment, and/or the occupant's preferences. Themachine learning process 122 compares and correlates current settings ofa seat support system, current settings of an vehicle, and environmentalconditions to past trends to refine settings associated with each statethereby to improve driving experiences.

3. State Machine Process and Control

A state machine 132 determines a current state of an ISS according to anoccupant's posture, a time, a driving environment, and the occupant'sactivities. The occupant's posture, the occupant's activity state, thedriving environment, and/or the occupant's preferences can be used todetermine the current state of the Intelligent Seat System. The previousstate and a trigger, such as change in the occupant's posture, activitystate, and/or preferences, and/or the driving environment can be used todetermine a state that best suits this change. The state machine 132 canfurther determine system settings associated with the best suitablestate. The ISS transitions to the best suitable state, for example, byadjusting the seat support system and/or the vehicle (e.g., atemperature, a light level of the dashboard, etc.) according to thedetermined system settings.

B. Subsystems

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the functions of this example ISS can bedivided into an input stage 102, a processing stage 110, a control stage130, and an output stage 140. As further described below, the subsystemsinclude sensors that actively monitor a current state of the ISS andcontrolled actuators to adapt the ISS to a state suitable for anoccupant and/or the driving environment.

In one embodiment, an ISS includes a seat support system, an occupantmonitoring system, a driving environment monitoring system, and a seatcontrol system. The seat support system is adjustable and includes aseat surface supporting an occupant. The occupant monitoring systemdetects an occupant and the occupant's posture. The occupant monitoringsystem can further identify the occupant or detect the occupant'sphysiological state. The driving environment monitoring system detects adriving environment. The seat control system is coupled to the seatsupport system, the occupant monitoring system, and the drivingenvironment monitoring system. The seat control system adjusts the seatsupport system according to the occupant's posture, the drivingenvironment, and/or the occupant's physiological state.

Pressure Sensing System 104:

An occupant's pressure data is collected from a system of pressuresensors. The pressure sensors measure surface pressure values of anoccupant on a seat surface and/or on a seatbelt. The pressure sensorscan be integrated with (e.g., embedded in) a seat support system tomeasure surface pressure values of an occupant on a seat surfacesupporting the occupant. A seatbelt can include integrated pressuresensors to measure surface pressure values of an occupant on theseatbelt, which provides a basis for determining a tightness level ofthe seatbelt. The measured pressure values can be processed (e.g., byusing a machine vision process 112) to:

-   -   1. Detect an occupant,    -   2. Identify the occupant if the occupant is known,    -   3. Detect the occupant's posture and position in the seat        support system,    -   4. Track high pressure areas (e.g., corresponding to bony        prominences), and/or    -   5. Detect the occupant's body movement, activities, and/or        physiological state (alert, drowsy, asleep).

Driving Environment Monitoring System 106:

The driving environment monitoring system 106 monitors a drivingenvironment including conditions inside and outside a vehicle.

The driving environment monitoring system 106 receives data from sensorsand information systems (e.g., GPS, radar, antennas, etc.) integratedwith the vehicle and determines an external environment. Examplereceived data includes navigation data, radar data, vehicle safety data,weather data, road condition data, or external light level data. Thereceived data can be processed to determine:

1. Current driving environment:

-   -   a. Highway,    -   b. City,    -   c. Racing,    -   d. Off-road, and/or    -   e. Out of Control; and

2. Imminent driving environment:

-   -   a. Sharp turns,    -   b. Increases or decreases in speed limit, and/or    -   c. Weather conditions affecting driving environment; and/or    -   d. Obstacles along a driving path.

In some embodiments, the driving environment monitoring system 104includes an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, and/or a humiditysensor that can be integrated with the seat support system. Theaccelerometer measures forces and vibrations exerted on the seat supportsystem. The temperature sensor measures a temperature of the seatsupport system and/or an ambient temperature inside the vehicle (e.g.,in an area surrounding the seat support system.) The humidity sensormeasures an ambient humidity level inside the vehicle (e.g., in an areasurrounding the seat support system.) The measured values can beanalyzed to determine:

-   -   1. A lateral acceleration and/or G forces experienced by the        occupant,    -   2. The temperature and/or humidity surrounding the seat support        system, and/or    -   3. Vibration levels experienced by the seat support system.

Moreover, the driving environment monitoring system 106 can estimate anoccupant's core skin temperature, for example, by analyzing temperaturemeasurements by a temperature sensor integrated with the seat supportsystem. As further described below, the measured occupant's core skintemperature is one of the factors used for adjusting temperature therebyto achieve transitions to a suitable state.

Occupant Preferences System 108:

An initial calibration process allows occupants to configure preferredsettings such as a setting of a seat support system. The preferredsettings can be stored in a memory. These preferred settings includeconfigurations for:

-   -   1. an occupant as a driver,    -   2. the occupant as a passenger,    -   3. a performance mode, and/or    -   4. a comfort mode.

Communication Interface 109:

The communication interface 109 enables an occupant to interact with anISS. For example, an occupant can configure an ISS or access itssettings via the communication interface 109. The communicationinterface 109 further enable an occupant to interact with a vehicle. Forexample, an occupant can set up a navigation destination. Thecommunication interface 109 can be integrated with a vehicle.

Seat Control System 136:

The seat control system 136 can adjust various aspects of a seat supportsystem such as seat ergonomics, seat firmness and contour, and/or seattemperature according to settings associated with a suitable state. Forexample, the seat control system 136 adjusts a surface, a distance froma steering wheel, a seat height (i.e., a height of the surface of theseat support system), a seatback angle, and/or a temperature of a seatsupport system. The seat control system 136 can adjust different regionsof the seat support system separately.

The seat control system 136 can adjust a vibration of a seat supportsystem. In one embodiment, the seat support system includes a vibrationelement integrated with a surface of the seat support system. Thevibration element vibrates and causes the seat surface to vibratethereby to alert and/or signal an occupant. The vibration element canalso generate different vibration patterns representing differentinstructions, for example, using haptic technologies.

The seat control system 136 can adjust settings of a vehicle. Forexample, the seat control system 136 adjusts safety restraints such as aseatbelt or an airbag of a vehicle. As such, the seat control system 136can improve safety levels. As another example, the seat control system136 adjusts a temperature setting of a vehicle such as a targettemperature for a particular zone, a mode (e.g., head, head and feet,etc.), a fan speed, or a fan direction, etc. As a further example, theseat control system 136 adjusts a light level (e.g., a color or abrightness) of a dashboard of a vehicle. By adjusting a temperatureand/or lighting inside a vehicle, the seat control system 136 canregulate an occupant's physiological state to a desired state. Thecommunication control system 134 is communicatively coupled to a vehicle(e.g., an in-car console).

II. Driving States and the State Machine

An ISS functions by transitioning amongst various states and sub-states.A state or a sub-state corresponds to a driving environment, anoccupant's posture, the occupant's physiological state, and/or theoccupant's preferences. A trigger such as a body movement or detectionof an obstacle signals the system to transition from a current state toa new state best suited for the change. An ISS features a manual mode,where the settings and transitions between each state can be initiatedby the occupant, or an automatic mode, which learns and adapts to theoccupant over time.

An ISS differentiates a driver and a passenger according to locations ofseats in a vehicle. A driver occupant must always be alert, whereas apassenger occupant may prefer to rest or sleep. Therefore, an ISS candetermine that different states are suitable for a driver and for apassenger. An occupant can configure different modes such as a comfortmode, a performance mode, and/or a safety mode. Comfort modes encompasstraditional transportation environments including city driving andhighway driving. Performance modes apply to high speed driving (e.g.,racing) or rough terrain driving (e.g., off-road) environments. Safetymodes apply to loss of control situations or adverse conditions (e.g.,extreme weather).

To simplify the operation, the ISS may be organized into hierarchalstates: broad conditions containing more specialized instances. FIG. 2illustrates an example organization of these states and a summary oftheir features.

When a person is seated, an ISS transitions to an occupied state 202.The occupied state 202 includes and is defined by a number of concurrentSuper States:

-   -   1. Seat Configuration State 220,    -   2. Seat Adaptation State 222,    -   3. Occupant Physiological State 224, and    -   4. Occupant Posture State 226.

The seat configuration state 220 corresponds to an overall ergonomicposition of an ISS for a current driving environment. The seatadaptation state 222 corresponds to adjustments needed for an imminentor unexpected driving condition. The occupant physiological state 224corresponds to an alertness level of an occupant. The occupant posturestate 226 corresponds to a posture of the occupant which corresponds acomfort and support level of the ISS.

Within each super state, the system responds to changes in the drivingenvironment, the occupant's physiological state, the occupant's posture,and/or the occupant's preferences to determine a current state and adesired state. The system adjusts based on the desired state. In someembodiments, if an emergency situation such as adverse weathers or aloss of vehicle control arises, the ISS transitions to a safety state toalert and protect the occupant.

As illustrated, within the Seat Configuration State 220, an ISS cantransition between a comfort mode and a performance mode, can transitionfrom the comfort mode to a safety mode, or transition from theperformance mode to the safety mode. An ISS can transition from thecomfort mode to the performance mode according to a user instruction orwhen the driving environment involves high speed racing or roughterrain, which can be determined from navigation data and/or radar data.The ISS increases a bolstering level of a seat support system. Likewise,the ISS can transition from the performance mode to the comfort modeaccording to a user instruction or when the driving environment involvescity or highway driving, which can be determined from navigation data.The information includes navigation data received from a GPS. The ISSdecreases a bolstering level of a seat support system. Adjusting abolstering level of the seat support system can adjust an amount oflateral support provided to the occupant.

An ISS can transition from the comfort mode (or performance mode) to thesafety mode automatically when there is a loss of control or adverseconditions. The information can be determined from navigation datagathered by the vehicle's GPS, radar data collected by the vehicle'sforward-facing radar, and/or environment condition data.

Within the comfort mode, an ISS can transition from a city driving stateto a highway driving state when the vehicle is slowing down and leavinga highway. The ISS adjusts the seat closer to the steering wheel andmore upright. The ISS can adjust or maintain a bolstering level of theseat to a reduced level or to a level configured by an occupant. Viceversa, an ISS can transition from the highway driving condition to acity driving condition when the vehicle is speeding up and is entering ahighway. The ISS adjusts the seat further away from the steering wheeland more declined. The ISS can adjust or maintain a bolstering level ofthe seat to a reduced level or to a level configured by an occupant. Theinformation includes navigation data received from a GPS.

Within the Seat Adaptation State 222, an ISS can increase an overallbolstering level of the seat support system when the terrain becomesrough imminently or unexpectedly. The ISS can increase a rightbolstering level or a left bolstering level of the seat support systemwhen there are corners along the driving path imminently or there isunanticipated large forces. The ISS can decrease a bolstering level ofthe seat support system to normal when no seat adaptation is required,for example, in an imminent driving environment. Additionally, withinthe Seat Adaptation Super State 222, an ISS can adjust a seat belt'stightness level. For example, an ISS can tighten a seat belt whenobstacles are detected along the driving path or that the vehicle isdeaccelerating to exit a highway. The ISS can adjust the tightness levelof the seat belt to a comfortable level when no seat adaptation isrequired. The information includes navigation data received from a GPS,radar data received from a radar, and/or accelerometer data.

Within the Occupant Physiological State 224, an ISS transitions betweenan awake state and a drowsy state, and between the drowsy state andasleep state. When an occupant enters a seat, the ISS determines thatthe occupant is awake and transitions to the awake state. When theoccupant's HR level, BR level, and body movement level decrease, the ISSdetermines that an occupant is drowsy and transitions to the drowsystate. When the occupant's HR level, BR level, and body movement levelcontinue to decrease, the ISS determines that an occupant is asleep andtransitions to the asleep state. Vice versa, from the asleep state, theISS transitions to the drowsy state when the occupant's HR level, BRlevel, and body movement level increase indicating that the occupant hasawaken. When the occupant's HR level, BR level, and body movement levelcontinue to increase, the ISS determines that an occupant is awake andtransitions to the awake state.

Within the Occupant Posture State 226, an ISS can transition between anideal state and a relaxed state, between the relaxed state and aslouched state, and between the slouched state and a sleeping state. Ifan occupant's posture is determined to be ideal, the ISS shifts to theideal state. The occupant's posture is ideal when pressure distributionacross the seat surface is substantially uniform and symmetrical. If theoccupant's posture is determined as relaxed when the contact area on theseat surface increases and the pressure distribution across the seatsurface remains substantially uniform and symmetrical, the ISStransitions to the relaxed state. If the occupant's posture isdetermined as slouched when the contact area on the seat surfacecontinues to increase and the pressure distribution across the seatsurface is uneven and asymmetrical, the ISS transitions to the slouchedstate. If the occupant's posture cannot be identified because thepressure data is not correlated to any predetermined posture position,the ISS determines that the occupant is sleeping and transitions to thesleeping state.

When a person leaves the seat support system, the system transitions toan unoccupied state 210. In some embodiments, when an occupant leaves aseat, the ISS reduces a bolstering level to a normal level.

III. Machine Vision

Machine vision algorithms are used to analyze the image acquired fromthe pressure sensing system embedded in the seat surface. This processderives important metrics about an occupant such as the occupant'sidentity, posture, comfort, or physiological state. The metrics can beused to determine a state of an ISS.

A. Image Analysis

1. Occupant Detection and Identification

An occupant can be detected and identified by analyzing a pressure imageof the occupant. The pressure image can be generated based on pressuredata such as surface pressure values of the occupant on the seatsurface. FIG. 3 illustrates an example pressure image for a sittingposture. The machine vision process extracts features such as imagefeatures. Image features may include a maximum pressure, contact area,average pressure, shape features, pelvic bone distance, symmetry, andother distinguishing metrics. A mahalanobis distance, and/or anidentification of a specific zone (e.g., a right or left ischialtuberosities zone 302, 304, or a right or left greater trochanter zone308, 310, and coccyx zone 306). A feature space is constructed using thefeatures collected from the occupant. The feature space can be comparedto reference feature spaces to determine a degree of similarity. Anoccupant is identified when there is a match. The reference featurespaces are constructed for occupants whose identities are known. Forexample, reference feature spaces can be constructed by analyzingpressure values collected for users in their normal driving posture.

2. Posture Detection

An occupant's posture can be detected by analyzing a pressure image ofthe occupant on the seat surface. In some embodiments, an ISS selects apredetermined posture as the occupant's posture. For example, the ISSclassifies a pressure image into a posture category by comparing thepressure image to reference pressure images corresponding to differentposture categories. The pressure image is classified into a particularposture category when the pressure image is determined to be mostsimilar to the reference pressure image corresponding to that particularposture category. A pressure image can be classified into multipleposture categories.

An intermediate position of the multiple posture categories is theoccupant's posture. To classify a pressure image, a machine visionprocess extracts geometric features from the pressure image and comparesthe extracted geometric features to those of reference pressure images.In one embodiment, the posture categories include:

-   -   1. Upright,    -   2. Right-leaning,    -   3. Left-leaning,    -   4. Forward-leaning,    -   5. Back-leaning,    -   6. Right leg crossed,    -   7. Left leg crossed,    -   8. Sitting on forward edge, and    -   9. Slouching,

The machine vision process can further extract regions of high pressurefrom a pressure image. A region of high pressure corresponds to an areain the pressure image of which the surface pressure values above athreshold value. The machine vision process can track a region of highpressure over time. An ISS considers an occupant's posture and/or aregion of high pressure when determining a suitable state. The ISS canadjust a seat surface such as its contour according to an occupant'sposture and/or a region of high pressure. For example, the surface canbe adjusted to improve the occupant's posture or to prevent forming aregion of high pressure for a threshold time interval.

B. Biometric Tracking

An ISS can determine an occupant's physiological state, for example, byanalyzing the occupant's biometrics and body movement. In someembodiments, an ISS uses a Ballistocardiography (BCG) method thatextracts heart rate (HR) and breathing rate (BR) by measuringoscillatory motions in a pressure image. These motions are caused by theaction of the heart, and the motion of a person's thorax whilebreathing. The overall pressure intensity oscillates with this periodicmotion, the pressure over time signal can be processed and filtered toobtain measurements as accurate as 0.4% for heart rate and 1.5% forbreathing rate. Erratic changes can also be quantified as the occupant'smovements.

The machine vision process analyzes a pressure image to determine alocation of the occupant's thorax thereby to determine a thorax area.The pressure image includes measured surface pressure values. Theprocess analyzes time variations in the measured surface pressure valuesin the thorax area to determine periodic oscillations of the occupant'sthorax. The process determines a value of at least one of a heart rate,a breathing rate, and a body movement of the occupant from thedetermined periodic oscillations. The process can determine theoccupant's physiological state based on the determined value.

One process for determining breathing and heart rate is as follows (seeFIG. 4):

-   -   1. Scan entire surface at 1 Hz;    -   2. Use machine vision to identify the thorax region 502 (see        FIG. 5);    -   3. Oversample this area at 10+Hz;    -   4. Track the motion of the thorax center of pressure (COP) along        the length of body;    -   5. Find calm periods in the signal by segmenting out movement        artefacts, i.e. periods where the COP movement has higher than        average energy;    -   6. Run the calm signals through a band-pass filter:        -   a. Heart Rate: 0.5-1.5 Hz (30-90 beats per minute) and        -   b. Breathing Rate: ⅙-⅓ Hz (10-20 cycles per minute);    -   7. Find peaks in the signals and calculate time between each one        (inter-beat interval, “IBI”); and    -   8. Calculate breaths or beats per minute.

Decreases in heart rate, breathing rate and movement typically indicaterelaxation of an occupant's physiological state, for example, from beingalert, to relaxed, and eventually asleep. An ISS considers an occupant'sphysiological state when determining a suitable state. The ISS canadjust its settings (e.g., a temperature of a seat support system, or anambient temperature of a vehicle) according to the occupant'sphysiological state.

IV. Intelligent Seat System Structure and Features

A. Ergonomic Adjustments

An ISS facilitates an occupant in adjusting a seat support systemthereby to achieve an occupant's joint angles in preferred ranges. FIG.6 illustrates example ergonomic adjustments of an example ISS. Asillustrated, ergonomic adjustments of a seat support system includeadjusting a distance of a seat surface from the steering wheel, aseatback angle, and/or a seat height. A seat support system can beadjusted such that joints of an occupant supported achieve preferredjoint angles. For example, in one embodiment, a reference shoulder anglehas a value selected from 7-69 degrees, a reference elbow angle is avalue selected from 86-164 degrees, a reference wrist angle is a valueselected from 130-216 degrees, a reference hip angle is a value selectedfrom 68-127 degrees, a knee angle is a value selected from 95-157degrees, and an ankle angle is a value selected from 77-115 degrees.Example ergonomic adjustments of an ISS to achieve optimal joint anglesare shown in FIG. 7.

B. Adjustable Seat Support Surface

An ISS can adjust a seat support system such as a seat surface (e.g., afirmness, a shape, a contour, a seatback profile etc.) or a bolsteringlevel to improve comfort and spine support, and/or to reduce lateralmovement of an occupant. A seat support system includes adjustable airbladders integrated with the seat support system. Air bladders can beadjusted to adjust the seat surface's surface and/or a bolstering level.Air bladders serve two purposes (see FIG. 8): 1) pressure relief andposture support, and 2) lateral support.

1. Pressure Relief and Posture Support

A connected air bladder-array in a base of a seat support system can beadjusted to achieve a substantial uniform distribution of pressureacross the cells of the array that are in an occupant's preferred range.Even pressure distribution across the occupant's buttocks results in anoverall reduction of peak pressures, and increased comfort. Highpressure points disrupt blood flow to surrounding soft tissues, whichmay cause discomfort.

Additionally, air bladders in specific areas (e.g., lumbar, or thoracic)can be adjusted to provide posture support in those regions. As such,the occupant's posture is improved and fatigue in the muscle groupssupporting the spine can be decreased. Air bladders in those regions canbe independently adjustable according to a state suitable for anoccupant's posture, physiological condition, and/or preferences, and/ora driving environment.

For example, air bladders in region 802 are adjusted to provide lumbarsupport. Air bladders in region 804 are adjusted to provide cervicalspine support. Air bladder arrays in region 806 are adjusted to equalizefirmness across air cells to achieve even pressure distribution. Airbladders in region 808 are adjusted to relive pressure points in thighs.

2. Lateral Support

A level of bolstering 810 can be adjusted to reduce lateral movement ofan occupant while driving. An ISS can automatically increase a level ofbolstering during performance conditions such as in racing andoff-roading. An ISS can automatically decrease a level of bolsteringduring comfort conditions such as city and highway driving. A level ofbolstering can also be adjusted to provide seat adaptation to reducediscomfort that may arise in imminent driving conditions such as sharpturns, quick acceleration and hard breaking. The level of bolstering canbe adjusted according to an occupant's preferences. An ISS minimizes alevel of bolstering when an occupant entering and exiting a vehicle.

C. Seat Structure and Internal Environment Monitoring

FIG. 9 illustrates an example mechanical structure of a seat supportsystem included in an ISS. The seat support system includes a flexiblepressure sensing mat 902 that generates pressure data. The flexiblepressure sensing mat 902 measures surface pressure, generates surfacepressure measures, and provides the measurements to another ISS'scomponent such as an occupant monitoring system and/or a state machine.The surface pressure values may also be presented to the occupant, forexample, through a communication interface. The seat support systemincludes vibration elements 904. The vibration elements 904 vibrate toalert or to signal an occupant with direction instructions or blind spotdetections. The seat support system includes a layer of air bladdersdisplaced underneath the pressure sensing mat 902 and vibration elements904. The layer of air bladders include air bladder arrays 906 that canbe adjusted to achieve equal pressure distribution under pelvis, airbladders 908 that can be adjusted to adjust a level of bolstering, andair bladder arrays 910 that can be adjusted to relieve pressure pointsin thigh regions. The seat support system further includes a seat base912 that provides mechanical support for the seat support system. Othercomponents such as a comfort layer are not shown. The comfort layerincludes a thin layer of foam that covers the pressure sensor andvibration elements. The comfort layer can additionally include heatingand/or cooling elements.

Pressure sensing mats are also embedded in the seatback to recordposture and physiological data. An accelerometer system can be centrallylocated in the seat to track forces and vibrations exerted on the ISS,and a temperature module monitors the internal environment surroundingthe ISS. Heating units are also embedded in the seat surface to modulatecore temperature.

D. External Environment Monitoring

An ISS is connected to a number of safety and communication systems ofthe vehicle. An ISS can include a communication interface forinterfacing with an occupant. An ISS can receive at least one ofnavigation data, radar data, vehicle safety data, weather data, roadcondition data, and external light level data from a vehicle or othersources. The received data can be used to determine an externalenvironment. For example, the vehicle's GPS can provide GPS data to anISS. The GPS data includes information regarding the drivingenvironment, such as a type of environment (city, highway, roughterrain); and/or an imminent driving conditions (sharp corners, speedlimit increases or decreases that require acceleration orde-acceleration). As another example, the vehicle's forward- and/orrear-facing radar can provide radar data to an ISS. The radar dataincludes information for detecting objects along a driving path, forexample, to appear in an imminent driving environment. The vehicle'ssafety system provides vehicle safety data that includes informationabout the vehicle's airbags and seatbelts. The vehicle can provideenvironmental condition data such as current weather condition data,road condition data, and/or external light level data to the ISS. An ISScan also obtain these data from corresponding links provided by thevehicle.

E. Communication

1. Temperature and Physiological State

Temperature can affect an occupant's physiological state (e.g., alert,drowsy, asleep). Temperature gradients between a core skin temperatureand a temperature of distal extremities (feet, hands) can facilitatetransitions between physiological states. During the day, distal skintemperature is preferred to be approximately 2° C. cooler than proximalskin near the core. Cooling an occupant's feet and hands while warmingthe occupant's core will help increase alertness, whereas reversing thisgradient (heating the feet and hands while cooling the core) willencourage relaxation. These gradients are achieved by temperature unitsin the ISS, as well as a connection with the zoned temperature controlof the vehicle. According to temperature measurements and estimates suchas an occupant's core skin temperature estimate, a temperaturesurrounding the ISS, an ambient temperature inside the vehicle, and/or atemperature of a vehicle zone (e.g., feet zone, hands zone, driver zone,or passenger zone) and desired temperatures corresponding to a desiredphysiological state, an ISS can adjust the temperature units in the ISSor of the vehicle.

2. Light Level Control and Physiological State

Blue-spectrum light interferes with the body's natural circadian rhythm;it aids to inhibit melatonin production and helps to maintainsalertness. According to a current physiological state of an occupant anda desired physiological state, an ISS can adjust a light level of adashboard of a vehicle. The ISS can regulate a spectrum and/or abrightness of the light emitted by the dashboard thereby to alert orawake a driver.

In alternate embodiments, aspects of the invention are implemented incomputer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.Apparatus of the invention can be implemented in a computer programproduct tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device forexecution by a programmable processor; and method steps of the inventioncan be performed by a programmable processor executing a program ofinstructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on inputdata and generating output. The invention can be implementedadvantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processorcoupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data andinstructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, andat least one output device. Each computer program can be implemented ina high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language, or inassembly or machine language if desired; and in any case, the languagecan be a compiled or interpreted language. Suitable processors include,by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors.Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from aread-only memory and/or a random access memory. Generally, a computerwill include one or more mass storage devices for storing data files;such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks andremovable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storagedevices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructionsand data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way ofexample semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM disks. Any of the foregoing canbe supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specificintegrated circuits) and other forms of hardware.

What is claimed is:
 1. A seating system for use in a vehicle comprising:an adjustable seat surface to support an occupant; pressure sensorsintegrated with the adjustable seat surface to measure surface pressurevalues of the occupant on the adjustable seat surface; a plurality ofsensors configured to generate sensor data including a drivingenvironment a processor; and memory storing instructions configured tocause a processor to: receive the surface pressure values, receive thesensor data, apply a machine vision process to the measured surfacepressure values to detect a posture of the occupant, the machine visionprocess comprising: extracting geometric features from the measuredsurface pressure values, and comparing the geometric features toreference posture images to select a predetermined posture position asthe posture of the occupant, each reference posture image comprisinggeometric features for a corresponding predetermined posture position,determine a physiological state based on the measured surface pressurevalues, determine the driving environment based on the sensor data, andadjust the adjustable seat surface according to the posture of theoccupant, the driving environment, and the physiological state of theoccupant.
 2. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the instructions arefurther configured to cause the processor to determine a value of atleast one of a heart rate, a breathing rate, and a body movement of theoccupant, and to determine the physiological state of the occupant basedon the measured value.
 3. The seating system of claim 1, wherein thephysiological state of the occupant is selected from a group comprisingat least one of awake, drowsy, and asleep.
 4. The seating system ofclaim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause theprocessor to: apply the machine vision process to the measured surfacepressure values to determine a location of the occupant's thorax;analyze time variations in the measured surface pressure values in athorax area to determine periodic oscillations of the occupant's thorax,the thorax area defined based on the location of the occupant's thorax;determine a value of at least one of a heart rate, a breathing rate, anda body movement of the occupant from the determined periodicoscillations; and determine the physiological state based on thedetermined value.
 5. The seating system of claim 1, wherein applying themachine vision process to the measured surface pressure valuescomprises: extracting pressure features from the measured surfacepressure values; constructing a feature space of the occupant using theextracted pressure features; and comparing the feature space of theoccupant to reference feature spaces of identified individuals toidentity the occupant.
 6. The seating system of claim 1, wherein thesensors include an accelerometer and a temperature sensor, theaccelerometer integrated with the adjustable seat surface and configuredto measure forces and vibrations exerted on the adjustable seat surface,and the temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient temperatureinside the vehicle, and wherein the instructions are further configuredto cause the processor to adjust the adjustable seat surface furtheraccording to the measured forces, vibrations or ambient temperature. 7.The seating system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes at leastone of navigation data, radar data, vehicle safety data, weather data,road condition data, and external light level data from the vehicle,wherein the driving environment includes an external environment.
 8. Theseating system of claim 1, wherein the sensors include a temperaturesensor integrated with the adjustable seat surface to estimate a coretemperature of the occupant; and wherein the instructions are furtherconfigured to cause the processor to adjust a temperature of theadjustable seat surface to maintain a target core temperature of theoccupant that varies according to the physiological state of theoccupant.
 9. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the instructions arefurther configured to cause the processor to adjust a light level of adashboard of the vehicle according to the physiological state of theoccupant.
 10. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the instructionsare further configured to cause the processor to adjust at least one ofa distance of the seat surface from a steering wheel of the vehicle, aseatback angle, and a seat height according to predetermined jointangles.
 11. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the instructions arefurther configured to cause the processor to adjust a shape of theadjustable seat surface to equalize pressure distribution on theadjustable seat surface.
 12. The seating system of claim 1, wherein theinstructions are further configured to cause the processor to adjust ashape of the adjustable seat surface to conform to the posture of theoccupant according to an occupant setting.
 13. The seating system ofclaim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause theprocessor to adjust a first region and a second region of the adjustableseat surface separately for lumbar support and for cervical spinesupport.
 14. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the instructions arefurther configured to cause the processor to adjust a shape of theadjustable seat surface to reduce lateral movement of the occupantaccording to the driving environment.
 15. The seating system of claim 1,wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processorto apply a machine learning process to refine future adjustment of theadjustable seat surface by analyzing a history of postures of theoccupant, physiological states of the occupant, and/or the drivingenvironment.
 16. The seating system of claim 1, further comprising astate machine configured to detect a state of the adjustable seatsurface, said state comprising at least one of a seat configurationstate, a seat adaption state, the physiological state of the occupant,and a posture state of the occupant, wherein the detection of the stateis based on the posture of the occupant, a time, the drivingenvironment, and activities of the occupant.
 17. A method of providing aseating system to an occupant in a vehicle, comprising: providing anadjustable seat surface to support an occupant, the adjustable seatsurface integrated with pressure sensors; measuring, by the pressuresensors, the surface pressure values of the occupant on the adjustableseat surface; applying a machine vision process to the measured surfacepressure values to detect a posture of the occupant, the machine visionprocess comprising: extracting geometric features from the measuredsurface pressure values, and comparing the geometric features toreference posture images to select a predetermined posture position asthe posture of the occupant, each reference posture image comprisinggeometric features for a corresponding predetermined posture position,determining a physiological state of the occupant supported by theadjustable seat surface using the measured surface pressure values;detecting a driving environment; and adjusting the adjustable seatsurface according to the posture and the physiological state of theoccupant and the driving environment.
 18. A seating system for use in avehicle comprising: an adjustable seat surface to support an occupant;pressure sensors integrated with the adjustable seat surface to measuresurface pressure values of the occupant on the adjustable seat surface;a plurality of sensors configured to generate sensor data including adriving environment; a processor; and memory storing instructionsconfigured to cause a processor to: receive the surface pressure values,receive the sensor data, apply a machine vision process to the measuredsurface pressure values to detect a posture of the occupant, the machinevision process comprising: extracting pressure features from themeasured surface pressure values, constructing a feature space of theoccupant using the extracted pressure features, and comparing thefeature space of the occupant to reference feature spaces of identifiedindividuals to identity the occupant, determine a physiological statebased on the measured surface pressure values, determine the drivingenvironment based on the sensor data, and adjust the adjustable seatsurface according to the posture of the occupant, the drivingenvironment, and the physiological state of the occupant.
 19. A methodof providing a seating system to an occupant in a vehicle, comprising:providing an adjustable seat surface to support an occupant, theadjustable seat surface integrated with pressure sensors; measuring, bythe pressure sensors, the surface pressure values of the occupant on theadjustable seat surface; applying a machine vision process to themeasured surface pressure values to detect a posture of the occupant,the machine vision process comprising: extracting pressure features fromthe measured surface pressure values, constructing a feature space ofthe occupant using the extracted pressure features, and comparing thefeature space of the occupant to reference feature spaces of identifiedindividuals to identity the occupant, determining a physiological stateof the occupant supported by the adjustable seat surface using themeasured surface pressure values; detecting a driving environment; andadjusting the adjustable seat surface according to the posture and thephysiological state of the occupant and the driving environment.
 20. Avehicle comprising a seating system that comprises: an adjustable seatsurface to support an occupant; pressure sensors integrated with theadjustable seat surface to measure surface pressure values of theoccupant on the adjustable seat surface; a plurality of sensorsconfigured to generate sensor data including a driving environment; aprocessor; and memory storing instructions configured to cause aprocessor to: receive the surface pressure values, receive the sensordata, apply a machine vision process to the measured surface pressurevalues to detect a posture of the occupant, the machine vision processcomprising: extracting geometric features from the measured surfacepressure values, and comparing the geometric features to referenceposture images to select a predetermined posture position as the postureof the occupant, each reference posture image comprising geometricfeatures for a corresponding predetermined posture position, determine aphysiological state based on the measured surface pressure values,determine the driving environment based on the sensor data, and adjustthe adjustable seat surface according to the posture of the occupant,the driving environment, and the physiological state of the occupant.